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Deathless #0.5
The First Ark
"There is a voice in my head, slithering through my mind like a serpent. It whispers dark things. Tells me to feed." -Osiris, Egyptian Lord of the Underworld.
Were the Egyptian gods fanciful imaginings of primitive people, or something more? Some believe that they once walked the earth as mortals, that they warred and loved just as any of their worshippers.
This is their story, the tale of how Isis gained the power of shaping. How mighty Osiris died and lived again. How they discovered the fabled First Ark, a structure older than man. It is the tale of us all, the story that shaped our race from cave dwellers into the people we are today.
Are these fanciful tales? Or long lost truth wrapped in myth? Only time knows.
Were the Egyptian gods fanciful imaginings of primitive people, or something more? Some believe that they once walked the earth as mortals, that they warred and loved just as any of their worshippers.
This is their story, the tale of how Isis gained the power of shaping. How mighty Osiris died and lived again. How they discovered the fabled First Ark, a structure older than man. It is the tale of us all, the story that shaped our race from cave dwellers into the people we are today.
Are these fanciful tales? Or long lost truth wrapped in myth? Only time knows.
68 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 24, 2014
69 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Chris Fox
87 books672 followersBy day I am an iPhone developer architecting the app used to scope Stephen Colbert’s ear. By night I am Batman. Ok maybe not. One can dream though, right?
I’ve been writing since I was six years old and started inflicting my work on others at age 18. By age 24 people stopped running away when I approached them with a new story and shortly thereafter I published my first one in the Rifter.
Wait you’re still reading?
Ok, the facts I’m supposed to list in a bio. As of this writing I’m 38 years old and live just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the beautiful town of Mill Valley. If you’re unsure how to find it just follow the smell of self-entitlement. Once you see the teens driving Teslas you’ll know you’re in the right place.
I live in a tiny studio that I can cross in (literally) five steps and don’t own an oven. But you know what? It’s worth it. I love developing iPhone apps and if you want to work in San Francisco you accept that rent for a tiny place costs more than most people’s mortgage.
If you and about 2 million other people start buying my books I promise to move out of Marin to a house in the redwoods up in Guerneville. No pressure. Wait that’s a lie. Pressure.
I’ve been writing since I was six years old and started inflicting my work on others at age 18. By age 24 people stopped running away when I approached them with a new story and shortly thereafter I published my first one in the Rifter.
Wait you’re still reading?
Ok, the facts I’m supposed to list in a bio. As of this writing I’m 38 years old and live just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the beautiful town of Mill Valley. If you’re unsure how to find it just follow the smell of self-entitlement. Once you see the teens driving Teslas you’ll know you’re in the right place.
I live in a tiny studio that I can cross in (literally) five steps and don’t own an oven. But you know what? It’s worth it. I love developing iPhone apps and if you want to work in San Francisco you accept that rent for a tiny place costs more than most people’s mortgage.
If you and about 2 million other people start buying my books I promise to move out of Marin to a house in the redwoods up in Guerneville. No pressure. Wait that’s a lie. Pressure.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 8, 2018
I recently read/listened to No Such thing as Werewolves, and was DYING for more. As I’m unable to buy No Mere Zombie right this second, I was thrilled to find this prequel novella!!
Isis intrigued me, and so a story of her history and how she came to be in the ark was great. The path she took, and the birth of the flesh eaters was interesting, detailed, and well written. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope for another prequel about how the wolves came into play. Or does that already exist?
Anyway, this is a short but satisfying installment to a series I have a feeling is going to be a favorite of mine, and I highly recommend it!
Bob says: 4 Platypires!
Isis intrigued me, and so a story of her history and how she came to be in the ark was great. The path she took, and the birth of the flesh eaters was interesting, detailed, and well written. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope for another prequel about how the wolves came into play. Or does that already exist?
Anyway, this is a short but satisfying installment to a series I have a feeling is going to be a favorite of mine, and I highly recommend it!
Bob says: 4 Platypires!
January 24, 2015
The First Ark is a great quick read. It provides some extra background for No Such Thing As Werewolves, but can definitely be read as a standalone book. I loved this new take on mythological characters. The writing is descriptive and moves along at a great pace. You never know what you'll find in a pyramid!
February 14, 2015
Quick Read
This book was a great prelude to There's No Such Thing as Werewolves. It provided the origins that are wondered about in the second book. I only wish I'd have read this one first.
This book was a great prelude to There's No Such Thing as Werewolves. It provided the origins that are wondered about in the second book. I only wish I'd have read this one first.
July 1, 2015
If you're a completionist and the series itself is something you want to read then go ahead and read this. I have read other preludes that do more than this does for me it was a boring read but the 1st book in the series was a great read.
August 19, 2015
It was slow going, but got real interesting the last 25% or so. Considering this is a prequel, it did a good job of making me want to read the series.
January 29, 2022
This is an author that I have not read in the past but reading the blurbs of the books it seemed that they were something that I would enjoy. The characters are taken from mythology/history depending on whether or not you believe that they ever existed in the real world. It appears to be set during an ice age when the population of the planet was low but the people seem to be of a higher order than might be expected for such a time period.
Were the Egyptian gods just the imaginings of primitive people or something more? Some believe that they walked the earth at one time, humans like the rest of us. This is the story of how Isis gained her power of shaping. How Osiris died and was resurrected. How the fabled First Ark was discovered, a structure older than man. This is the story of how a race was shaped from cavemen to homo sapien sapien, is this how we got here?
I both listened to and read this book. It was a quick entertaining read and the narrator, Ryan Kennard Burke, did a very good job of making it a compelling trip through time as he brought the characters to life in a great way. I felt them and this made it even more enjoyable.
Were the Egyptian gods just the imaginings of primitive people or something more? Some believe that they walked the earth at one time, humans like the rest of us. This is the story of how Isis gained her power of shaping. How Osiris died and was resurrected. How the fabled First Ark was discovered, a structure older than man. This is the story of how a race was shaped from cavemen to homo sapien sapien, is this how we got here?
I both listened to and read this book. It was a quick entertaining read and the narrator, Ryan Kennard Burke, did a very good job of making it a compelling trip through time as he brought the characters to life in a great way. I felt them and this made it even more enjoyable.
May 2, 2019
So I read this before I read the first volume of the series, and I wonder if I would have been better off reading this after. It wasn't bad and since it was a prequel I thought this may be a good place to start. The problem is I felt lost most of the time, and I think most if it was because I wasn't more familiar with the series. It sounds to me as if this leads into a zombie plague with the Egyptian God Set as the "first zombie." I'm unclear as to the werewolf part, but perhaps Isis or Osiris will be a werewolf? I suppose this will make sense after I read No Such Thing as Werewolves. Just keep in mind my review sort of has an asterisk by it due to the reasons I've explained. Overall I did enjoy it, but something was missing.
March 16, 2016
An interesting twist to ancient history.
OK, I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that this is a rewrite of history. That the Egyptian gods didn't originate in the middle east was something that irked me a bit. But I suppose that they had to come from somewhere.
Overall, this seems like a good intro to the rest of the series which I plan to be reading quite soon. This is a rather short book so even if you don't care for it, it's over quickly. Personally, I liked it. The writing was crisp, editing was good in that I didn't notice any issues, and the characters were interesting. One quibble I have is with the portrayal of the "old one" who appears to be a Neanderthal. But I suppose it was necessary to move forward in the story.
OK, I don't think it's a spoiler to mention that this is a rewrite of history. That the Egyptian gods didn't originate in the middle east was something that irked me a bit. But I suppose that they had to come from somewhere.
Overall, this seems like a good intro to the rest of the series which I plan to be reading quite soon. This is a rather short book so even if you don't care for it, it's over quickly. Personally, I liked it. The writing was crisp, editing was good in that I didn't notice any issues, and the characters were interesting. One quibble I have is with the portrayal of the "old one" who appears to be a Neanderthal. But I suppose it was necessary to move forward in the story.
March 18, 2016
I've read a few book one's as it were in book series ie) Odd Thomas, Dave Vs The Monsters, etc. This one was definitely parculiar. It may be due to the fact that i am not very, or even somewhat familiar with Egyptian Methlogy at all. I remember hearing some of the names of the gods like Osiris, and possibly even Set, but i suppose not knowing their powers, what they ruled, etc probably didn't help either. I'm hoping that at least the next few books like There's No Such Things As Werewolves might make a little more sense, if not..then hey, at least i have the back story on the possibly reoccurring characters
January 14, 2016
Man, I almost gave up on this book about the 20% mark... it was utter shite... but then out of nowhere it got good, pretty damn good! everything changed and suddenly it became intriguing. I'm quite glad I kept going, especially as I decided to read this (a prequel) before book 1 of the series. That may be why I didn't enjoy the start of it. if I had stopped reading, I definitely wouldn't have bothered with book 1 whereas now I'm stoked to read book 1 =D ... strange how that happens
October 13, 2015
This earns 3.9 out of five stars from me. Mostly because I'm not a fan of zombie stories. This has an interesting mythological and fantastical element that kept me reading. I didn't connect with the characters but kept reading because it was intense and learning about the power inside the ark was compelling.
November 4, 2016
This was a good prequel but I wish it was so much more than a taste of the past. I am sure there are so many cool stories that could be told. I am glad I read it after the rest of the series I don't think it would go aswell if read before not knowing the answer to all the questions make it more exciting.
March 12, 2016
Short and fun, I look forward to starting book #1
May 4, 2016
Good story. 4.5 stars.
August 12, 2016
A prequel to the first book. Cool. It explains things that happened in the first book.
I really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed it.
March 3, 2018
kindle unlimited, first off, a collection that includes the prequel should have the prequel first in the book, and while I don't usually take off for spelling/grammar issues, there was so many that at times my audio stuttered or otherwise didn't make sense, and when forced to read it by sight there were homonym errors and repeats of the same text/'catch up' rememer from previous book parts that were way too close to each other as in parts to make sure knew of something not just the first part of each chapter going over what led up to, repeats of what had just been written a couple or so lines back, and some of it contradictory. I would have noted the issues each time but I'm not the ARC reader for these, maybe nobody was from some of the issues. If it hadn't made it hard to understand, wouldn't have taken off a star, but starting with prequel in BACK of 3 stories made no sense and the issues continued from there. Didn't really understand vampire one much. So much give 3 overall for collection. Prequel blurb also makes no sense.
"There is a voice in my head, slithering through my mind like a serpent. It whispers dark things. Tells me to feed." -Osiris, Egyptian Lord of the Underworld.
Were the Egyptian gods fanciful imaginings of primitive people, or something more? Some believe that they once walked the earth as mortals, that they warred and loved just as any of their worshippers.
This is their story, the tale of how Isis gained the power of shaping. How mighty Osiris died and lived again. How they discovered the fabled First Ark, a structure older than man. It is the tale of us all, the story that shaped our race from cave dwellers into the people we are today.
Are these fanciful tales? Or long lost truth wrapped in myth? Only time knows.
The First Ark (Deathless, #0.5)
No Such Thing as Werewolves (Deathless #1)
No Mere Zombie (Deathless #2)
Vampires Don't Sparkle (Deathless #3)
Deathless Collection (Deathless) {1,2, 3, THEN prequel which makes no sense}
"There is a voice in my head, slithering through my mind like a serpent. It whispers dark things. Tells me to feed." -Osiris, Egyptian Lord of the Underworld.
Were the Egyptian gods fanciful imaginings of primitive people, or something more? Some believe that they once walked the earth as mortals, that they warred and loved just as any of their worshippers.
This is their story, the tale of how Isis gained the power of shaping. How mighty Osiris died and lived again. How they discovered the fabled First Ark, a structure older than man. It is the tale of us all, the story that shaped our race from cave dwellers into the people we are today.
Are these fanciful tales? Or long lost truth wrapped in myth? Only time knows.
The First Ark (Deathless, #0.5)
No Such Thing as Werewolves (Deathless #1)
No Mere Zombie (Deathless #2)
Vampires Don't Sparkle (Deathless #3)
Deathless Collection (Deathless) {1,2, 3, THEN prequel which makes no sense}
November 14, 2020
Osiris fights with Set to control the Ark and settle their destinies.
Osiris, Set and Isis gain their powers from the Ark that Ka controls. Instilling their forms with knowledge and power, Ka teaches the use of mutagen to alter their forms and abilities. They become the Egyptian pantheon and adjust their Ark to rest through the long-count gathering strength as the Sun begins its cycle, showering them with strength and power.
Preparing for the end of the weak sun-cycles, readying the Ark for the battles to come. I see now how the Arks were used. And misused. Now I'm ready for the next book in the series. This was a very interesting and instructive novelette for the Deathless series.
Osiris, Set and Isis gain their powers from the Ark that Ka controls. Instilling their forms with knowledge and power, Ka teaches the use of mutagen to alter their forms and abilities. They become the Egyptian pantheon and adjust their Ark to rest through the long-count gathering strength as the Sun begins its cycle, showering them with strength and power.
Preparing for the end of the weak sun-cycles, readying the Ark for the battles to come. I see now how the Arks were used. And misused. Now I'm ready for the next book in the series. This was a very interesting and instructive novelette for the Deathless series.
August 1, 2023
Urban fantasy that mashes together Egyptian mythology, sci-fi technology, genetic engineering, and zombies. The inciting incident that is the plot of this book leans toward light horror vibes, as the reader starts to feel dread toward what has been unleashed. Seems like a great origin story (prequel) for the series it sets up. Different from my reading tastes and what I usually read but executed well enough.
August 2, 2020
CANNOT WAIT
for the next book ! The prequel actually helped to bridge a few things from the prior books. A very fast read.....waited so long for another installment in the series that I had finished this in one sitting.
I hope we don't t have to wait as long for the next installment !
for the next book ! The prequel actually helped to bridge a few things from the prior books. A very fast read.....waited so long for another installment in the series that I had finished this in one sitting.
I hope we don't t have to wait as long for the next installment !
April 1, 2025
This novella is a prequel to the Deathless Saga explaining in detail the origins of the strife between Isis, Set, and Osirus. None of it was a surprise because the basic background had been explained in the series, but it’s still an enjoyable look at the origins of the strife that drove the first several books of the series.
June 15, 2018
Another quick introduction to a trilogy by Mr. Fox, this time a supernatural series that explains the origins of vampires and werewolves, as well as their animosity towards each other, with a little Egyptian mythology thrown in for good measure.
September 13, 2018
I stopped after the prologue of No Such Things as Werewolves in order to read this prequel. I'm very intrigued and excited to get into this series. The prequel gives a rewrite of historical legend and an interpretation of the Isis and Osiris legend. This series should be INTERESTING!!
July 29, 2020
Excited to read
I was excited to find this prequel to Deathless book 1 , it gave me some answers to a few questions that I had after reading book 1. Now on to Deathless book 2..yes..
I was excited to find this prequel to Deathless book 1 , it gave me some answers to a few questions that I had after reading book 1. Now on to Deathless book 2..yes..
October 19, 2021
Riveting!!!
This book has it all! Everything you could need in a book; vampires, ancient gods, werewolves, and adventure. It captured my attention and led me to read the rest of the series.
This book has it all! Everything you could need in a book; vampires, ancient gods, werewolves, and adventure. It captured my attention and led me to read the rest of the series.
December 30, 2021
Got my attention
Although it was a little muddled at the beginning as to what I was reading about, it became clear towards the middle and ended with me wanting more. I am looking forward to taking this journey into this series.
Although it was a little muddled at the beginning as to what I was reading about, it became clear towards the middle and ended with me wanting more. I am looking forward to taking this journey into this series.
February 6, 2019
Good prequel. I wish it was longer but good start to see how things began.
October 25, 2021
3.5 stars
Pretty meh prequel where none was needed.
Pretty meh prequel where none was needed.
August 18, 2016
This book strikes me as similar to many of the Kindle and ebooks that abound right now. Lots of action, lots of to-ing and fro-ing, but very little in the way of in-depth character development or description. For those who like this sort of book, they will no doubt like this one. As these things go, this one is probably good to average, especially if one likes the premise of where do the various Undead come from. I like my books with more detail, less running and killing, and characters I can care about. If you are an action junkie and like your reading with overtones of fantasy and war, give this a try.
April 9, 2015
I was given an opportunity by the author to read this, in exchange for an honest review. The First Ark was good, but not up to the high standard the author set in book 1 "No Such Thing as Werewolves". This is a vignette, a snapshot of the origins of the deathless. I thought the author did a good job of explaining the origins, but I would have liked to seen it taken even further.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews